Wow! This week went by fast. We had 3 meetings this week. All great meetings. And lots of miracles.

So Wednesday was Sister Olszowka and my halfway mark! Can you believe it? So we walked out that morning and found a sign on our house and our car decorated! It was awesome! Then we had Chocolate covered strawberries to celebrate. I did take pictures, but I forgot my camera at home..So next week I promise there will be pictures! We had zone conference on Wednesday then missionary leadership council on Thursday then zone training meeting on Friday. Oh and Sister O and I sang at zone conference "If the Savior stood beside me" then Sister Williams accompanied us on the flute. It was really pretty. Anyway...MIRACLES! 

We have a baptism in 2 weeks of a 13 year old boy who was suppose to get baptized 6 months ago, but something happened so he didn't. So that's great for us. Then a non member moved into a members basement and wants to be baptized so we will be teaching them tonight. Then a woman we met walking down the street texted us and asked us if we could teach her husband. They are both from Kenya.  We are very excited!  We hope that they follow through because we have had a lot of investigators avoid or drop us.  I feel that it is because they have received their witness, not all of them but a few of them. And it's hard to receive a witness that this gospel is true, because it's a gospel of change. Its a gospel of bettering ourselves to live a higher law.

This month our mission is doing a month long study of the atonement. We each will receive a booklet with an activity everyday with talks and scriptures to look up and ponder about.  The meat of our meetings this week was on the Atonement.  I know that if we as missionaries and members can truly  try to understand the Atonement then that is motivation enough to get out and work everyday, to share the gospel every chance we get. Because we understand the love that our Heavenly Father has for us and the love that our Savior has for us and for His children. As missionaries we provide the way for all mankind to access the Atonement. President Chambers shared different videos about Christs life and they are so powerful.  I know with a surety that Christ did atone and he did die and that he did live again!  We can find that out for ourselves. We don't have to be a Latter-Day Saint to know this. So why is our message unique? Because that same priesthood authority Christ had on the earth is on the earth today and his plan of happiness is revealed to us today and central to that plan is Christs Atonement. I love this gospel with all my heart. Yes its hard to live it sometimes. But no one ever said that we receive our fullness of blessings in this life. This is what we are striving to teach a less active woman. She has a lot of anger built up inside of her. And you would never know it.  We will start teaching her about the power of the Atonement. Now we are teaching her how to forgive. Its not easy, the Atonement was not easy and neither is salvation. We do feel some pain, but we will never feel the amount of pain our Savior felt. I know that the Atonement is real and it brings about change. I know that we have a Heavenly Father and Savior who knows us and loves us. 

I love all of you so  much!

-Sister Swain